Waterloo researchers develop 'tumour-eating' bacteria that may be next step in fight against cancer

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a new "tumour-eating" bacteria that may be the next step in the fight against cancer.The research team, led by a trio of doctors, says that the bacteria they have developed are capable of eating tumours from the inside.The novel bacteria have been developed from Clostridium sporogenes, a bacterium that is most commonly found in soil that can only grow in areas without oxygen.The ability to grow the bacteria in oxygen-free conditions is key to the bacteria's role in fighting cancer, as the centre of a cancerous tumour is free of oxygen and thus makes it the ideal location for the bacteria to thrive and eat away at the cancer cells."Bacteria spores enter the tumour, finding an environment where there are lots of nutrients and no oxygen, which this organism prefers, and so it starts eating those nutrients and growing in size," Waterloo chemical engineering professor Dr. Marc Aucoin is quoted as saying in SciTechDaily.com."So, we are now colonizing that central space, and the bacterium is essentially ridding the body of the tumour.".While the bacteria's ability to thrive in a zero-oxygen environment allows it to be efficient in the centre of the tumour, once the bacteria spreads to the outer layers of the tumour, it encounters oxygen and dies.To allow the bacteria to continue to survive in environments with some oxygen, researchers have introduced a gene from a related bacteria that should allow the bacteria to survive for longer once it gets closer to the outer regions of the tumour.Incredibly, the team was also able to develop the oxygen-friendly gene to only activate when the bacteria is inside the tumour, meaning the bacteria won't spread to oxygen-rich areas of the body like the bloodstream."Using synthetic biology, we built something like an electrical circuit, but instead of wires we used pieces of DNA," said Waterloo applied mathematics professor Dr. Brian Ingalls."Each piece has its job. When assembled correctly, they form a system that works in a predictable way.”The researchers now plan on testing their new-and-improved bacteria on tumours in preclinical trials.

Waterloo researchers develop 'tumour-eating' bacteria that may be next step in fight against cancer

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